Cities & Road Trips

Having been born and raised in Wisconsin and chosen to make it my lifelong home, what others would consider quintessential Wisconsin vacations or must-see Wisconsin landmarks, for me, are simply part and parcel to spending 39 wonderful years in my home state.

So while I look forward to experiencing many of Wisconsin’s best-known attractions again with my wife and two young daughters – I’m guessing a trip to Green Bay’s famous Bay Beach or Milwaukee’s Discovery World will be very, very different as a dad – there aren’t too many trips that wouldn’t have an element of “Been there, done that” to them.

Except one.

When I was 5 years old, my family vacationed Up North – in the classic Wisconsin lexicon – in Minocqua … and I haven’t been back since. It remains one of my favorite vacation memories, and in keeping with the Travel Wisconsin’s theme of “Picture the Fun," I even have a treasured photo of my fishing brilliance. But that was 35 years ago, and it’s time to make some new memories – and hopefully catch a slightly larger fish.

When one of my good friends asked me to write a blog about my favorite Wisconsin memory, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to pick out just one. And maybe I took the easy way out, since choosing a singular memory would have been impossible. But to me, what I’m feeling as I write this is what vacationing in Wisconsin is all about – looking forward to making new memories.

So get ready, Minocqua. We’re headed your way.

Jason Wilde covers the Packers for ESPNWisconsin. He lives in De Pere, Wisconsin with his wife Paula and daughters Madison and Sydney. Connect with him on Twitter.